


Of Dominoes and Consequences

by cyberdigi



Series: Butterfly Series [4]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gwen Bashing, Ianto Jones: Immortal, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-10
Updated: 2013-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-04 21:17:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/715199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyberdigi/pseuds/cyberdigi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One decision affects another and another until it’s like a trail of dominoes and the consequences of Gwen’s decisions won’t be what she expects</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Dominoes and Consequences

**Author's Note:**

> I wouldn't necessarily say this is Gwen bashing but it's 100% definitely NOT Gwen friendly, so tagged for safety

She couldn’t believe it.

Ianto Jones’ life was now _linked_ to Jack’s.

He was supposed to love _her_. Sure she had Rhys, she even wanted to keep him, and marry him, but Jack was every dream and fantasy she’d ever had come to life. Why shouldn’t she be able to have him on the side?

But now those dreams were dashed by Ianto Jones. Sure she’d always known they were screwing but surely Jack was just substituting one welsh person for another. There’s no way Ianto could compete with her.

Now two days after the revelation of Ianto now being able to revive from the dead, she was going to take the opportunity to confront Jack. Surely, Ianto had tricked him into giving this _gift_.

She looked down at her watch as she stood to go see Jack while Ianto did whatever it was he did. She was supposed to meet Rhys, but he’d understand this was very important.

She strode up to Jack’s office door, flinging it open; surely whatever he was doing couldn’t be more important than her. To her surprise Ianto was with him leaning in real close, _pretending_ to show Jack paperwork.

She coughed loudly before asking, “Jack can we talk?”

Ianto looked at Jack, before saying “I’ll just finish cleaning up and locking down while you talk. Then we can go home.” He sidestepped Gwen to go around her to get down to the Hub.

Gwen seethed, how DARE he?

“What is it Gwen?”

Her attention was drawn back to Jack, and found her carefully rehearsed speech of ‘Did he force you to do it?’ and ‘I could be so much better.’ Gone. To buy herself time she sauntered over to his desk sitting on the corner.

“Why?”

“Sorry?”

“Why him? We both know I can give you so much more. This, whatever it is, between us is so _strong_. I _want_ you Jack, I love you, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Jack looked shocked; maybe he hadn’t expected her to acknowledge what was between them.

Jack rubbed his face with his hand before replying, “Why him? My God Gwen, there are so many answers to that question I don’t know where to begin. But the question of ‘why not you’ has less answers but the most important to you should be just this one; Rhys.”

“He wouldn’t have to know, it could be our secret; us being together. Even if he finds out I can just Retcon him again. I’ve always believed in eating my cake,” she grinned, placing a gentle hand on Jack’s arm.

Only to have Jack wrench his arm away and physically push her off his desk, standing angrily.

“Then maybe these reason will be enough I _don’t_ want YOU! You want to know why Ianto? Well, I love _him_. I’ve trusted him so much about myself, things _you’ll_ never know. Because I trust him that’s why Bad Wolf came to him; then it was his choice.”

She was seething now, “It still could have been me couldn’t have it? Why are you fighting this?! My God he can be a tosser.” (1)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
(Moments before in the main part of the Hub)

Ianto was busy tidying up while the computers completed remote notification, lock down, and shut down processes when he heard the gear door slide open.

To Ianto’s shock, Rhys walked through the door.

“Err…hi? Have you seen Gwen? She was suppose to meet me?” Rhys asked as he walked through.

“Yes, however forgive me, but how did you get in? Authorization codes are required despite our relaxed atmosphere this is a restricted area.”

“Oh…ummm….Gwen gave me the codes said and to come visit anytime I wanted. I didn’t think it was a good idea necessarily, but when she didn’t show up I was worried and not answering her phone, so I thought it couldn’t hurt. Sorry about that.”

Ianto sighed, Gwen again thinking she was above the rules and in charge.

“I understand, I do apologize but I must request you not come again, and I’ll have to change the codes.”

“No, no, I understand; sorry I knew this was a bad idea,” Rhys looked embarrassed and apologetic. 

Ianto sighed again, Rhys was a good guy with a good head on his shoulders. How he and Gwen got along was hard to imagine. However, if he loved her like he did there had to be something.

“Thank you; now Gwen she was talking to Jack…” He motioned Rhys leading him up to Jack’s office. As they got closer they could hear Gwen speaking.

_“He wouldn’t have to know it could be our secret; us being together. Even if he finds out I can just Retcon him again. I’ve always believed in eating my cake.”_

_“Then maybe these reason will be enough I _don’t_ want YOU! You want to know why Ianto, I love _him_. I’ve trusted him so much about myself, things _you’ll_ never know. Because I trust him that’s why Bad Wolf came to him; then it was his choice.”_

Ianto looked at the shell-shocked Rhys before calmly opening the door.

_“It still could have been me couldn’t have it? Why are you fighting this?! My God he can be a tosser.”_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“I suppose it could have been you, Gwen, possibly if you had died first. The simple way to answer that question is to ask another. When you were a child did you ever dream of a golden woman talking about a choice and a great love?”

Gwen looked at him like he had lost his mind, “What are you talking about? What would stupid dreams have to do you making Jack give you this _gift_? Even if I had why would I remember stupid dreams from when I was a child?!”

Ianto smiled a sad smile. Poor Gwen, even if she had had the dreams she never understood; he doubted she ever would.

“The dreams were the beginning of it all. If you don’t understand then you wouldn’t have had the chance to make the choice. It wasn’t something for Jack to give. All he did was love and trust me but that didn’t make me unable to die. It was the Bad Wolf that did that, and only when I choose to accept it with all the joys and sorrows that come with it.”

Gwen was clearly seething, but before she could retort she saw the stony faced Rhys just behind Ianto.

“Rhy!” she went from seething to shock in a millisecond, “I…that is…I mean…How long have you been there?”

“Have your cake and eat it, is it? Your little secret? Retcon me _again_?!?!?” Rhys was fuming now. Images had been flashing in his mind since Gwen’s declaration Ianto was a “tosser”. Him sitting with her on the couch. Her telling him she’d had an affair. Saying she’d made him forget. He didn’t understand what was going on; what he was seeing and hearing it was all too much.

“Rhys…sweetie.”

“Don’t _sweetie_ me! I don’t even want to look at you right now. I’m leaving, you can find your own way home!”

Rhys stormed off, leaving a shocked Gwen and silent Ianto and Jack in his wake.

“Well I think that’s enough excitement for one night. Ianto why don’t you take Gwen home, I’ll check on Rhys and then meet you at home.”

Jack turned to gather his coat as Ianto started to herd Gwen to the door, but Gwen twisted from his grip to turn back to Jack.

“Jack…” she began.

Jack cut her off, “I do care about you, much like I care for Tosh, Owen and many others. You remind me of a dear friend; she believed in me when no one else did. But your _not_ her and can never be her. I don’t love you, I don’t want you. If things were different could I have sex with you, be your lover? Yes, but I still wouldn’t love you, I still wouldn’t feel for you what I feel for Ianto. “

Jack turned to fully face the pair, “Dreams are well and good but our perfect dream people don’t exist. They have faults and problems like everyone else and it's learning to love them because of those faults because it’s part of who they are. You don’t do that you hang on to the dreams and fantasies not allowing for a real person. This is one dream to give up Gwen.”

Gwen’s face fell at Jack’s rejection.

Jack strode past Ianto and Gwen pausing adding, “If you try this again Gwen, that’s it. The last two years will be gone and you’ll back to walking a beat…you’ll be fired and I won’t feel bad about it.”

As Jack left, Ianto took an arm around Gwen and guided her to his car to take her home. Jack was harsh, but it had to be done. Gwen was not one to take no for an answer. If she was sure she was right, leaving Jack with only the option to shatter her fantasy.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jack found Rhys in a bar not far from the Hub drowning his sorrows.

As Jack sat down Rhys spoke, “I can’t believe it, I mean I always knew she fancied you, but I never imagined.”

Jack placed a comforting hand on the other man’s shoulder.

“And I still love her DAMN IT! Even after I find out all that, I still love her and want to spend my life with her,” he cried into his liquor.

Jack was thoughtful for a moment before saying, “I’ve loved a lot in my life. Yes, some have loved me more than I did them and some I loved more than they loved me. Loving is never easy in any situation, but some are harder than others. But the special ones, the ones you love until your heart explodes are always worth effort even if the effort isn’t returned. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. You won’t know unless you try.

“Or you can just dump her and move on broken hearted. Up to you,” Jack added trying to lighten the mood.

Rhys was thoughtful for a moment, “I love her…I…she was wrong, is wrong…I…What did she mean retcon me again?”

Jack sighed, “Gwen tell you what retcon was?”

At Rhys nodded he continued, “Last year we discovered that some of our supply of retcon was missing but there was only enough to erase an hour at the most. We don’t know the specifics, but after some investigating it would seem she gave it to you;. What she didn’t want you to remember we’re not sure.”

“She told me she had an affair,” Rhys said sadly, “I remembered earlier, maybe have been for a while. Told me that she gave me a drug to make me forget so I could forgive her, the bitch. I didn’t and I won’t; but damn it I still love her still want to marry her, still want to try.”

“So what are you going to do?” Jack asked.

“Couples counseling, and if she doesn’t agree, I’m walking away no matter how much I love her. She has hurt and betrayed me too much. If this doesn’t work I’m through.”

“The wedding?”

“I still want to go through with it if she does,” at Jack’s questioning look, “stupid I know but maybe part of me hopes that marrying me will help. Don’t know if it’ll do any good but I still want to.” (2)

“You are a very odd man, but a very brave and loyal one too,” Jack smiled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that night Jack crawled into bed next to his lover.

As he started to settle in for the night, Ianto turned over and they both leaned into kiss.

“What did you do with Rhys?”

“He’s sleeping off the alcohol on the couch, he’s remembered Gwen using Retcon on him.”

Ianto raised an eyebrow, “Oh? And what is he going to do?”

“He’s got a plan that I’ll tell you about it in the morning, but it sounds like there are going to be some changes in store for Gwen.”

“Well it can wait for the morning,” Ianto responded snuggling closer into Jack’s embrace.

As Jack heard Ianto’s breath even out, he could only think how life was affected by the choices they all make.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Ok going off the Urban diction tosser typically refers to anyone of whom you have a low opinion, thus Gwen doesn’t have a high opinion of Ianto at least at the moment so she’s using the phrase.  
> 2\. Yes I know…this is part of the reason in the delay. _I_ wanted him to call off the wedding, at least for now (not sure what I’d with Something Borrowed, but I wanted him to call it off) but Rhys was insistent he wanted to go ahead with it and I couldn’t convince him otherwise (but he will be cracking down on Gwen from now on though, no more pushover).


End file.
